Air treatment device



2 Sheets-Sheet l c. w. PlERsoN AIR TRETMENTr DEVICE spt. 12, 1939.

Sept. 12, 1939 c. w. PlERsoN AIR TREATMENT DEVICE Filed oet. 19, lase 2Sheds-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 1.2, i939 UNITED STATES Claims.

the tunnel at the discharge for drawing airlo through the tunnel anddischarging it from the tunnel. The tunnel and the impeller are so a1'-ranged as to direct the discharged air in such manner as to cooperatefunctionally with the spacing of the air intake and outlet to normallyprevent immediate recirculation between thesey points. 1n this mannerthe air in the upper part of the room is pushed outward and the air inthe lower part drawn inward thereby setting up general and gentle aircurrents throughout El) the room. The tunnel being portable may be movedalong the wall of the room to a point giving the best results'which mayvary depending upon the shape of the room and the position of furnitureor other obstacles. Likewise the tunnel may be moved from yroom to roomas may be desired, in the manner of a.y conventionalzfan. The tunnelfurthermore provides a restricted passageway through which all of theair in the room is periodically passed and wherein are pow sitioned airtreatment devices for the purpose ofremoving dust, smoke,.'dirt, gases,and bacteria, humidifying the air, Yand in a large measure sterilizingthe air.'

An important object of the invention is ther $5 provision of an improvedair circulation device for providing improved room -circulation whereindirectional currents are setup.

Another objectof the invention is tor provide an air circulatingdevlcedeslgned to avoid im- 40 mediate recirculation oi air directlyadjacentthe device and cause the'discharged-air to move out to remotepoints'in the room and'at the same time draw air into the intake fromremote 'points in the room.

' 45 Another laim of theinvention is the yprovision of a tunnell orcabinet structure having novelv structural characteristics facilitatingthe circulation of'air. i i

A further object is the provision of improved 50 means forhumidifyingand filtering the air.' I

Another objecty of the invention is the provision of improved means fortreating the air to improve itsA condition for those suiering fromlrespiratory troubles, such as asthma, `hay fever 66 and the like.

'PATENT OFFICE Am. TREATMENT nnvlcn Carl W. Pierson, Rockford; lli.Application october- 19, iasisno; 106,280

(ci. zel- 104) casters or other support facilitating the move- 4olsloping panel I6 is provided with an opening I8 consists in thisinstance of a conventional elec- 60 A still further object of theinvention is the provision of improved means for treating the air forthe purpose` of improving its general suitability for breathing, such asthe removal of odors, c bacteria, dust particles and the like, and tokill 5 bacteria which may not actually be removed from the air.

I have also aimed to provide means for improving the therapeutic andgermicidal action of ozone, and to produce an ozone generating dei0 vice4of improved characteristics.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in theart from the following description and the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure l isia front view of a device embodying my invention:

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2--2 of Figure 1; Fig. .3 is afragmentary section on the line 3 4 of Fig. 2; 20 Fig. 4 is afragmentary section showing the manner in which air may be drawn fromthe exterior of the room, and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the manner in whichv the air in arectangular room 26 is caused to move through operation of the device.

In Figs. land 2 I have shown by way of illustration a preferredembodiment of the invention wherein the air tunnel, designated generallyby 30 the numeral 6, is formed by a cabinet of rectangular cross-sectionhaving side walls 1 and 8, a back wall 9, iront wall H, and top l2. Thefront wall has a plurality of slots I3 adjacent the bottom thereof, adoor I4 at amid-point secured 85 to the side wall 1 byimeans of hingesI5. and a sloping portion or panel I6 sloping backwardr from bottom totop, as best shown in Fig. 2. The cabinet may be 4carried on legs |.1 ormay have ment yci! the cabinet from place to place. 'I'he through whichair is adapted to be discharged from the tunnel 6. A screen or othergrill I9 is positioned across the opening, in part as a decorativemeasure, but largely for the purpose of protecting a fan positionedtherebehind for the purpose of impelling airthrough the tunnel and outthrough the discharge opening i8. This fan tric motor 2l mounted on abracket 22 attached to the side walls 1 and 8, the motorcarryingimpeller,- bladesA 23. The flow of current to the motor 2| is controlledby a switch, rheostat, or other control device 2l mounted ,within thecab- 66 inet and operated by a handle projecting through the wall 1.

The fan is, in this instance, positioned within the cabinet so that theblades 23 operate in a plane parallel to the grill I9 and the panel I6and direct a stream of air forwardly and upwardly from the tunnel. Theair passing through the discharge opening I8 is drawn upward through thetunnel 6 from the intake openings I3 adjacent the bottom of the tunnel.By having the impeller near the discharge opening or on the outlet sideof the air treating devices I am enabled to obtain better directionalforces and distribution of the air, as will presently appear. 'I'hedistance between the discharge opening and the intake openings should besuch that the air passing out of the discharge opening does not merelymove downward along the iront of the cabinet and in through the intakeopenings, but instead, is directed outwardly away from the cabinet sothat the air entering the intake openings is drawn from the layer of airadjacent the floor. Furthermore, the arrangement must be such that airis not drawn in along the periphery of the opening I8. Normally this isprevented by adjusting the relative positions and size of the opening I8and the impeller blades .23. I have found, however, that while suchadjustments are normally satisfactory to prevent intakeof air along theperiphery of the opening; the position of the parts in the presentconstruction appears to prevent the complete elimination of thisphenomenon by the method suggested. I have found, however, that byflattening the round side of the otherwise circular discharge opening I8as shown at 25, I have been able to prevent the indraft of air along thelower `edge of the opening which otherwise will occur. While the indraftof air at this point is not vital to the operativeness of the device, Ihave nevertheless found that it tends to set up undesirablerecirculation currents, thereby affecting the ediciency of circulation.

An opening 26 is formed in the back wall 8 of the cabinet and has ascreen 21 thereover, the opening being positioned in close proximity tothe top of the cabinet and in the transverse plane of the upper part ofthe impeller 23. The impeller blade serves to draw into the cabinet acertain amount of air through this opening and discharge the samethrough the discharge opening I8, the resultbeing to materially increasethe capacity of the air tunnel 6. It is believed `that the impellerblades in their rotation create. in the upper converging end of thecabinet, certain disturbing air currents which tend to-retard the upwardmovement of air through the tunnel, which air currents are eliminated bythe provision of the opening 26. At least I have discovered that therate of circulation of air through the tunnel is materially increased bythe provision of the opening 26.

I may utilize this phenomenon for the purpose of drawing fresh air intothe room and circulating the same in the manner shown in Fig. 4. Forthis purpose a sleeve 28 is attached to the back 9 of the cabinetsurrounding the opening 26 and is adapted. to receive a ilter 26 and aconduit tube 3i, the discharge end of which is carried in a panel 32adapted to be positioned between an upraised window 33 and a window sill24 in`,an obvious manner, whereby a part of the air discharged from theopening- I 8 will be drawn from the exterior through th'e tube 3|, thenuera and the opening 26. 'Ihe iilter 28 will preferably be a filteradapted to retain dust, pollen, and the like, and allow the discharge ofthe ltered air therethrough.

In Fig. I have shown in a diagrammatic manner the type of circulationproduced by the operation of my device. In this figure the numerals 35,36, 31 and 38 indicate the side walls of a room, the numeral 38 the oorof a room, and the numeral 4I the ceiling. The air circulation device isdesignated by the numeral 42. It will be seen from the direction of thearrows that the air passes out of the opening I8 in a forwardly and anupwardly direction, the main stream of air striking the wall 36 at anelevated point. The stream of air then stretches out along the wall 36in all directions but primarily laterally and downward. The laterallymoving air moves along the wall 36 to the walls 35 and 31 and thencealong these walls and downward. At the same time air is being drawn inthrough the inlet I3 near the floor of the room which facilitates thedownward movement of the air along the walls 36, 35 and 31. 'I'hisdescription and the drawings will indicate the general direction of airmovement, but it will be realized that a part of the air during thiscycle is being continuously deected from `the main stream so that ageneral circulation of air is obtained throughout the entire room. Thismovement of air distinguishes the present circulating device from theconventional type of fan which tends to create a zone of violent airagitation without eilectuating a general air movement. The improvedresults obtained are attributed to the fact that the air is taken intothe tunnel at a low point, transported through the tunnel to an elevatedpoint for discharge in a direction to carry the air away from thedischarge opening and the intake opening, the intake and the dischargeopening being suiiiciently far apart that immediate recirculation of anysubstantial proportion of the air by passage downward directly acrossthe front of the cabinet is prevented. It will be seen that with thisconstruction the air is pushed outward at the top with such velocity asto travel to a remote point against the opposite wall and the air isdrawn inward at the bottom so as to make room for the outwardly movingair. This produces a substantially uniform and gentle circulation of airthrough the room which in a normal sized ofllce or home room is sulcientto be physically perceptible tothe occupants. On the other hand, thismovement of air is not sumciently violent to disturb papers or othercontents of the room as is usually the case with the conventional fan.Furthermore, the airis discharged from the tunnel in an upwardly andoutwardly direction from a relatively elevated point in the room so thatthe rapid movement of the air directly adjacent the cabinet is rarely ifever objectionable or noticeable to the occupants.

It will be observed that the air of the room will be moved through thetunnel or cabinet at regular intervals; that is, in a predeterminedspace of time all or substantially all of the air will have been movedthrough the tunnel during the circulation operations. I utilize thispassage of the .air through the tunnel for the purpose of treating theair so as to humidify. to filter, and in`part to sterilize the air. Thisis accomplished by means of a tank 43 which extends substantially acrossthe tunnel from front to back as shown in Fig. 2 and is provided with.aflanged upper end I4 which seats in slots I5 midway between the ends ofbrackets 46 attached to the back 8 and front II o! the cabinet. 'Ihetank is of substantially lesser width than the width of the -cabinet soas to leave spaces 41 between the sides of the tank and the sides l.

and 8 of the cabinet for the passageof air upward through the tunnel. Awick 48 is immersed in the water contained in the tank 43 at itsmidpoint, as best 'shown in Fig. 3 while the ends of the wick areattached to the inner surfaces of the side walls 'i and 8 by means ofrods 49 attached to the ends of the wick and seated in hooks l on theside walls. The wickis of suicient width to substantially span thetunnel so that the air passing upward through the tunnel is forced topass through the wick. This wick is preferably formed of loosely wovenfabric such as to draw the water upward from the tank to the extremitiesof the wick by capillarity and yet to obstruct the passage of airtherethrough a minimum amount.

` When the impeller 23 is not in operation so that there is no forcedflow of air through the tunnel, the wick occupies substantially the fullline position shown in Fig. 3. On the other hand, when the impeller isin operation at relatively high speed, the movement of air through thetunnel deects the upper portion of the wick as shown in dotted lines inFig. 3. I have found that through this arrangement the movement of theair facili- .tates or assists the capillarity in carrying the liquid upto the extremities of the wick. This appears to be due to the fact thatthe violent rush of air tends to blow the water upward along the surfaceof the Wick. At intervals, depending upon the amount of dirt in the air,the wick is removed through the' door and washed inthe manner of anycloth fabric and again replaced for further use.

It will be seen that through this arrangement the air passing throughthe tunnel is compelled to pass through the wet wick, whereupon the airis broken up into small streams or bubbles while in contact with the wetwick, causing moisture yto be picked up by the air and thus humidifyingthe same. At the same time the passage of the air through the wet wickcauses the small particles of dirt and 'dust to be deposited on thewick. Likewise, this causes bacteria or other microorganism carried inthe air to be deposited on the wick so that the air passingthereabovehas removed from it a. substantial part of the dirt, dust and bacteria.This is of material advantage in homes, for example, where it has beenfound that a constant operation of this air circulating device has verymaterially reduced the amount of dust settling on objects in the room,the smoking and dirtying of the walls occasioned by the operation ofheating plants. Likewise, the device is highly eective for -removingtobacco smoke from'- the air. An important function of the filter clothin addition to the above is that it serves to absorb odors frequentlyfound in the air, such,

for example, as cooking odors, toilet odors, and

the like, thereby removing them from circulation in the room.

At apoint in the tunnel below the tank t3 I provide an ozone generatingdevice in a position such that at least a part of the air entering atthe bottomof the tunnelis caused to pass over the ozone generator. Inthis instance, the generator consists of the usual tubes E2 andtransformer 53 carried on a cross member 5t extending between the sidewalls l and t. This generator is connected to a source of power througha switch 55 so that the generator may be switched off and on as may bedesired. A plate 60 above the transformer serves to protect it frommaterial dropping from above. The ozone thus generated is carried upwardwith the incoming air through the filter cloth 48. Upon contact with thefilter cloth apart of the ozone is absorbed in the water held in thiscloth and very shortly reaches a concentration such as to kill `al1 ofthe bacteria or microorganisms which are deposited thereon from the air.In addition, the ozone acts upon the odors held in the cloth to effecttheir oxidation and 'thus destroy them. However, a large part of theozone is carried out of the discharge opening mixed with the air andmoisture so that it is distributed through the atmosphere of the roomwherein it is highly effective for the purpose of destroying odors.The-effectiveness of the ozone thus distributed through the atmosphereis considerably enhanced by the presence of the increased humidity*resulting from the wick. It is a well known fact that for mostpurposes'moist ozonevis considerably more effective than the dry ozone,and in this instance it appears that the ozone is very thoroughly mixedwith the moisture of the air on passing through the wick. The device istherefore effective to distribute the moist ozone through the atmospherewhere it acts to kill the bacteria in part even before they are drawnonto the filter.

Furthermore, and of at least as great an irnportance, is the fact thatby thus passing the ozone through the moist iilter 48, the deleteriousphysiological effects heretofore attributed to ozone appear to beavoided. In other words, persons who have inthe past been adverselyaffected by the presence of ozone in the atmosphere, which has causedthem to develop headache andthe like, find that the operation of mydevice does not thus affect them. For this reason many people have foundthe device to be highly effective in avoiding the discomforts of hayfever, and iind relief from these discomforts upon entering a room inwhich this device has been in operation for a period of time. While inpart this may be attributed to the ltering action of the device inremoving pollen and other irritating substances from the air, I amconvinced that it is at least in part due to the action of ozone afterpassing through the wet filter cloth. I have been unable so far todetermine the theoretical explanation but at the present time suspectthat it may be due to the removal by the filter cloth of nitrous oxideand similar byproducts produced by the operation of ozone generatingdevices.

While I have thus described and illustrated the specific embodiment ofthe invention, I am aware that numerous alterations and changes may bemade therein without departing from the spirit of the invention, and Ido not wish to be limited except as required by the prior art and thescope of the appended claims, in which- I claim:

1. The combination in an air circulating device of a vertically disposedportable tunnel having an air inlet at a low point and an inclined faceat the upper end thereof extending obliquely thereagainst from one sideof the tunnel to a point adjacent the opposite side thereof forming anposed sides of the tunnel and having a discharge opening, an airimpeller within said tunnel vparallel to` said face for moving airthrough the tunnel, and an opening in the side of said tunnel `obtuseand an acute angle with respect to op- 2. The combination in a portableair circulating device of Va rectangular hollow cabinet forming avertically disposed tunnel having an air inlet at a low point and asloping front panel at the upper end thereof extending upwardly andrearwardly to the top at a point adjacent the rear of the cabinetforming an acute angle with the rear of the cabinet, said panel having adischarge openingl an air impeller within said panel parallel to saidface for moving air through the tunnel, and an opening in the rear ofsaid tunnel opposite the upper portion only of said face for supplyingair to said acute angle and to the upper portion of said impeller tofacilitate the operation of the impeller.

3. 'I'he combination in a portable al1; conditioning device of a cabinetproviding a vertically disposed air tunnel having yan air inlet at a lowpoint adjacent the door of a room and an air discharge at an elevatedpoint, an impeller for moving air through said tunnel, wet foraminousmaterial spanning the tunnel for the passage of the air therethrough tohumidify and filter the same, a water tank into which said foraniinousmaterial dips to maintain the same wet by caplllarity, said foraminousmaterial in said tank being unsecured for free removal from saidcabinet, an opening intermediate the ends of thef cabinet for access tosaid tank and said foraminous ma.- terial to replace or recondition thesame, and a closure for said opening.

4. The combination in a portable air conditioning device of a cabinetproviding a vertically disposed air tunnel having an air inlet at alowpoint adjacent the door of a room and an air discharge at an elevatedpoint, impeller means Within the cabinet for passing air through thetunnel to impart directionalflow thereto, a iilter cloth spanning saidtunnel for filtering and humidifying the air passing therethrough, meansfor maintaining the cloth wet by capillarity, means located intermediatethe inlet and outlet for removing the cloth for washing, and an ozonegenerator positioned in the tunnel below said 4 cloth for supplyingozone to the air subsequent to the entry of the air into the tunnel andprior to the passage thereof through the cloth.

5. The combination in an air circulating device for a room, of aportable cabinet adapted to be moved from room to room in a home and thelike and moved about in a room having a vertically disposed tunnel, anair intake at a low point therein, and an air discharge at an elevatedpoint for discharging air atan obtuse angle with respect to the iioorline whereby to direct air upward and across said room to the oppositewall so that said wall is caused to reflect and deiiect the air aboutthe room, the low intake drawing the air downward along the walls forreturn to the cabinet thereby setting up a general iiow of airthroughout the room, a fan in said tunnel for drawing air in at the lowpoint and forcing it out at the discharge point, a filter cloth spanningsaid tunnel for iiltering and humidifyingthe air passing therethrough,means for maintaining the cloth wet by capillarity, means locatedintermediate the inlet and outlet for removing the cloth for washing andan ozone generator positioned in the tunnel below said cloth forsupplying ozone to the air subsequent to the entry ofthe air into thetunnel and prior to the passage' thereof through the cloth.

" CARL W. PIERSON.

